Two-faced climate policy

It's ironic that Australia is moving toward a 'cap' on carbon emissions because while we've got this paper target for a five per cent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2020 we've also got the foot on the accelerator and running in overdrive expanding the coal and gas mining at an unprecedented rate.

Australia is on target to increase CO2 emissions originating from our shores by over 400 per cent. It's a simple trick of accounting: claim a five per cent reduction by ignoring our fossil fuels that are burnt off shore.